Q: What's going on at Kilauea?

A. In simplest terms, the flow of molten rock to Kilauea Volcano's Pu'u 'O'o vent essentially stopped over the weekend. It appears that the magma that would otherwise have erupted there is being forced into underground fissures upslope on the east rift zone.

Q: Is there a new eruption?

A. There have been plenty of small earthquakes as the magma squeezes into the underground region, but none had reached the surface as of late yesterday.

Q. Has this happened before?

A. Yes. Similar events happened in 1997, when lava did reach the surface, and in 1999, when it did not.

Q. Is there anything happening on the surface?

A. The pressure of the magma is forcing the rift zone apart. Geologists use GPS technology to measure the distance between different spots on the volcano, and they've detected a 28-inch widening in the area between Pauahi and Makaopuhi craters. The earth movement is causing cracks in the Chain of Craters road and on the rift zone.

Q. Is there a threat to the public?

A. While there is no immediate known threat, the underground activity has the potential to cause earthquake damage, and an eruption could threaten surrounding property.

"We are being very cautious. We're in close contact with the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. We know there's abnormal activity going on, and we take anything like this very seriously," said Troy Kindred, Big Island Civil Defense chief.

Q. Has the activity affected tourism?

A: Thus far, most of the activity is underground, and probably has not caused any increase in tourist traffic to the island, said George Applegate, executive director of the Big Island Visitors Bureau. "But say it breaks out someplace and you have (lava) fountains, then you won't be able to hold them back," he said.

Q. The Chain of Craters road leading to the lava flows into the sea is closed and the flow has dropped off. Aren't people disappointed?

A. There may have been tourists who had hoped to view the lava flow into the sea, but the national park has not heard complaints.

"We're capturing more folks and able to interpret what's going on. They can watch earthquakes happening in real time on seismographs. When you've got something like this going on, it's history," said park superintendent Cindy Orlando.

Q. Can the public go see any activity?

A. Not directly, but Orlando said that as soon as it's safe, the park service will open part of the Chain of Craters Road and provide visitors with trained interpreters to explain the geological activity within sight of the area where the majority of quakes have been occurring.

Q. If the volcano does erupt and threaten homes, does home insurance cover the damage?

A. If lava bulldozes down your home, you're probably not covered. But if the heat sets the home on fire, or a lava-ignited brushfire burns your house, you generally are, said Gordon Ito, deputy state insurance commissioner.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.